The other evening, I met a friend for dinner at the Chequers Inn in Rowhook. Reading that it is a Michelin-recommended pub, and never having dined there before, I wanted to try it out. I love good food, so I had high expectations from this local pub.
About The Chequers Inn
The Chequers Inn is housed in an old building dating from the 15th century, and has been a pub since the 19th century. In the early 2000s the building was bought by chef patron Tim Neil, with the intention of creating a top foodie destination in West Sussex, and he succeeded, as the pub has been mentioned in the Michelin Guide, in the AA Guide, and in the Master Chefs of Great Britain guide. I have eaten at a Michelin star restaurant before, and I know that even if the restaurant doesn’t have stars, if it’s mentioned in the guide it means that the food is of extremely high quality.
The Chequers Inn uses local and seasonal ingredients for the dishes, so the menu changes periodically.
The pub, which has a delightful summer garden, is situated in a lovely secluded hamlet. The interior is old and charming, with low wooden beams and plenty of eclectic decorations. There are two main dining rooms, which are airy and spacious.
I didn’t know how the weather would be, so I booked a table indoors. Next time, I would definitely like to have a drink in the garden, before heading in for dinner. The garden is large and inviting.
My Experience at the Chequers Inn
I booked a table at the Chequers Inn online, via OpenTable. I am a millennial who doesn’t like to speak on the phone, so being able to book online is very convenient for me. I usually won’t book a restaurant if I have to call them. I like that OpenTable has plenty of restaurants in my area, so there is always a new place to try out.
We arrived at the Chequers Inn at 7 and we were greeted with a smile by Katie, our waitress for the evening. We were shown to our table and offered water straight away. By the time Katie arrived with the water, we decided to share a bottle of wine as well, and we went for a Spanish Temporanillo from 2020.
After we had decided which dinner to choose from the menu, we were brought a small platter of warm bread with butter.
Starters
For our starters, we chose the Keralan king prawns with a coriander flatbread, and the grilled calamari and chorizo salad, with an Amarillo chilli mayo.
The Keralan king prawns had a delicate sweet taste, as well as flaked coconut for texture. The perfect way to eat them, to fully enjoy the experience, was to put the prawns inside a piece of flatbread and drizzle it with the sauce.
I loved the calamari and chorizo salad. The calamari had a lovely texture and was cooked to perfection. Its delicate taste was very well complemented by the baldness of the chorizo. The Amarillo chilli mayo just brought the entire dish together.
Mains
Before I go to a new restaurant, I like to go on their website and study the menu. And this time was no exception. I was set on the pork chop, but on the day of the dinner, it wasn’t available. So I went for my second choice, the pan-fried calves liver on creamy mashed potatoes with Savoy cabbage, French beans, bacon and sage jus.
My friend chose the chargrilled bavette steak served with fries and chimichurri dressing.
We were both very happy with our choices. My dish was full of flavour – the liver was perfectly cooked, so tender and juicy. I sometimes cook liver at home, so I know that there is an art to it, otherwise you end up with a leather-like, extremely dry texture.
The mash was so creamy, and the jus completed the dish by bringing that fresh herby element needed for a heavy, comfort good. Every mouthful was a delight for my taste buds.
The steak was perfectly cooked, medium-rare, and very tender as well. The chimichurri provided a fresh punch of flavour with a hint of spicy, that elevated the taste of the steak.
Dessert
We were already full, but we wanted to try a dessert as well, so we ordered one to share. The dessert menu was very inviting, and it was hard to choose just one. In the end, we decided to go for a light option, so we ordered the pavlova of poached berries with Chantilly cream. It was just as well that we only ordered one, as the dessert was huge! The presentation was lovely too, with the meringue on top of the fruits and the Chantilly cream on top. It looked like a cute winter hat.
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This is a collaboration with Open Table. The pub was chosen, booked and paid for by myself.
You got me at the instance you said that it is housed in a 15th C building. I should definitely visit here soon. I love it when restaurants use local ingredients. Good that they have an online reservation system and it is very very convinient. The dessert looks absolutely divine.
These food plates look delicious. I find it so useful that you can check the menu online before going there. I also do the same. I can believe you were so full that only shared desert after all those delicious dishes.
Being a foodie, I loved this review. It is so detailed and well-curated with good pictures. I would love to visit this someday for sure.
I would not normally think of a pub as being a Michelin-recommended spot. So it was interesting to read more about the Chequers Inn at Rowhook. We would certainly be happy starting our meal with seafood appetizers. I might have been disappointed if my first choice of main was not available. But there that you had an acceptable second choice. Good to know that dessert is a shareable portion size.
Looks like a great restaurant recommendation. I too love dining at Michelin recommended or starred restaurants. I’m never left disappointed in the food, atmosphere or presentation. The dessert looked heavenly!
The Chequers inn seems to have a lovely spread from around the world. The Spanish Calamari and Chorizo salad and Keralan (Indian) King prawns. That dessert with Chantilly cream looks yummy. The beer garden makes the pub even more inviting. 🙂
Aw I love the look of this pub. A good country pub always makes me feel good, and I bet the beer garden was fabulous. I’m so glad you enjoyed your meal, the food looks amazing!
I love going out for a nice pub meal with the husband. These look quite posh, so a nice treat.
The food here sounds lovely and looks amazing. I really love that they made an effort with the presentation. I’d love to try those prawns. Bet that dish was gorgeous.
I did laugh about not speaking on the phone, my daughter is the same and gets me to do it. I must admit I do prefer to book online as you also have confirmation if there is a problem. I love visiting places like this and the food looks amazing